Towed behind a baler, a hay bale accumulator, such as a Hoelscher™ bale accumulator (e.g., the model 1000 accumulator), is powered by a tractor's hydraulic system. As the baler pushes hay bales onto the accumulator, a push over arm automatically activates to lift-up the accumulated hay bales by pivoting about 90° from a relatively horizontal to relatively vertical position so as to move the hay bales onto an adjacent bed. After lifting the hay bales, the push over arm returns to its original starting position to receive additional hay bales.
On occasion, as a result of mechanical timing issues that occur during inconsistent baling conditions, such as when tractor speeds and windrow sizes fluctuate, the leading, or horizontal traveling hay bale can collide head-on, as it exits the baler chute, with the front or baler end of the push over arm as it returns from the relatively vertical position to its original relatively horizontal starting position. Because the pushover arm is rigidly secured to the accumulator, this collision can jam the baler and destroy the leading hay bale, and ultimately bring the baling operation to a halt. Unfortunately, there is no mechanism built into existing accumulators to compensate for the collisions, or impact forces, between the hay bale and push over arm so as to prevent occasional halting of the baling operation. In addition, current push over arm designs are also known to cut bale strings and baling wire, which can lead to bale jamming and destruction.
It would thus be beneficial to provide an improved push over arm assembly and a retro-fit kit for hay bale accumulators that overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks.